Clemson chemistry professor receives Class of 1939 Award for Excellence

Published: February 8, 2011

Melanie Cooper tries to ring the Class of 1939 bell. image by: Patrick Wright

By Stephanie Firth

CLEMSON — Melanie Cooper, chemistry professor and interim chairwoman of the department of engineering and science education, has been recognized by her colleagues and the Class of 1939 as one of Clemson University’s brightest.

Cooper was named the recipient of the Class of 1939 Award for Excellence at a ceremony Tuesday. The award was established to recognize faculty members for the highest achievement of service to the student body, the university and the community. She received a $5,000 stipend and became an honorary member of the class. Her name was inscribed on the Class of 1939 bell monument in the Carillon Garden.

Cooper is well known as an excellent teacher and adviser to undergraduate and graduate students who is dedicated to education. 

“She was always encouraging and single-handedly convinced me to apply to prestigious graduate programs in chemistry,” a former undergraduate student wrote in nominating Cooper for the award.

“Melanie challenges her graduate students to be the best that they can be and inspires hard work and dedication through her own exemplary actions,” wrote a current graduate student.

Cooper's research focuses on the teaching of collegiate-level chemistry. She is the principal investigator on four current National Science Foundation grants and a co-principal investigator on two more. All of the grants focus on the development and assessment of new teaching and learning materials. 

Cooper’s past research includes the development of project-based laboratories for large-enrollment courses in general and organic chemistry. More recent projects include a new chemistry curriculum in which the development of new interactive instructional technology materials and a focus on the use of data are used to drive education reform. 

“Walking by this monument reminds me of some of our most accomplished and student-focused faculty,” said Provost Dori Helms, whom Cooper acknowledged as a personal mentor.

Helms praised Cooper’s assessment of education. “I’ve often heard Melanie say, ‘It’s not about the quality of teaching; it’s the quality of student learning that is important.’”

Cooper received her bachelor’s degree, master’s degree and Ph.D. from the University of Manchester, England. She joined the Clemson faculty in 1987 and was named Alumni Distinguished Professor in 2002. That year she was the chairwoman of the Gordon Conference on Innovations in College Chemistry Teaching. She also has served on several committees for the College Board Science Standards, the American Chemical Society Division of Chemical Education and the Western Carolinas American Chemical Society Section.

Cooper is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and in 2009 was selected as an inaugural member of the Class of 2009 American Chemical Society Fellows. She received the Outstanding Undergraduate Science Teacher Award from the Society for College Science Teachers and the Robert S. Campbell Award for Communication Across the Curriculum in 2009. In 2008, Cooper was a finalist for the South Carolina Governor’s Distinguished Professor Award.

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